Nose
Bright racy red fruit followed by layers of cassis, blackberry and dark chocolate.
Palate
fresh herbs, plush tannins
Growing Conditions
2014 is the third year of a trilogy of outstanding vintages in the Napa Valley. It will
also be remembered as the “earthquake” vintage as Napa experienced a 6.0
earthquake on August 24th that damaged many homes, businesses and wineries in
the valley. Mother Nature blessed Tournesol vineyards with a consistently
temperate growing season in 2014. The cool summer and moderate fall weather
produced small berries with a beautiful balance of acidity and concentration of
aromas and flavors
Bottling
22 months in new French oak
Winemaking
The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were hand-harvested in the pre-dawn hours of
October 4th, under a near full moon. The fruit was immediately taken to the
winery, de-stemmed into small, open-top vinification bins with an extended
maceration of 36 days. Each bin received punch-down treatments by hand and was
monitored daily by winemaker Ken Bernards. Once the wine completed
fermentation, it was gently racked into new, thin-staved French oak barrels selected
from an array of forests with various toast levels and aged for 22 months. Lush and
balanced, this wine is stunning now but will only improve over the next several
years.
